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Will Tizard

Also by Will Tizard

October 31, 2023
Afghan Refugees Leave Pakistan As Mass Deportation Deadline Looms

Afghan refugees in Pakistan flooded across the border to return home on October 31, a day ahead of a deportation deadline. Pakistani authorities have ordered an estimated 1.7 million undocumented Afghans to leave voluntarily or face deportation. But many say they will face danger from the Taliban.
October 23, 2023
After Armenian Exodus, Azerbaijanis Hope To Return To Nagorno-Karabakh

Nuraddin Guliyev, a 94-year-old Azerbaijani farmer, dreams of returning to his native village of Narinclar in Nagorno-Karabakh three decades after he was forced to leave. Azerbaijan recaptured the breakaway region in September and more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians fled from the disputed territory.
October 19, 2023
Rescuing Stas: How A Ukrainian Soldier Became A Boy's Godfather

Ukrainian soldier Petro Voloshchenko first encountered 7-year-old Stas living with his family in a half-destroyed apartment building in Bakhmut. Voloshchenko's unit helped them to get out. Stas's family was given an apartment in Dnipro, where they have started a new life.
October 17, 2023
Love And Laughter: Wounded Ukrainian Soldier Finds Healing Romance In Brussels

After suffering serious injuries in battle against Russian forces, a Ukrainian soldier being treated in Brussels has found love -- in the form of a Belgian-raised Ukrainian speaker named Lidia Zubrytska. After she volunteered as a translator, she Serhiy Antonenko became almost inseparable.
October 15, 2023
'You Have To Give Birth': Children Help Ukrainian Mother Cope With Loss Of Three Family Members

A Ukrainian woman whose brother, husband, and mother were all killed in Mariupol at the start of Russia's full-scale invasion says she copes with her grief by focusing on her children. Tetyana Lastovych was eight months' pregnant when she found out her husband was killed in action.
October 14, 2023
'Insane Adrenaline': Ukraine's Mi-8 Helicopters Fly Fast And Low Combat Missions

During a high-speed attack helicopter mission, a Ukrainian Mi-8 pilot shares the secrets of his crew's successes: low-level flights, fast turnaround, and a dedicated support team. RFE/RL's Maryan Kushnir flew onboard, capturing footage of air attacks that targeted Russian troops in eastern Ukraine.
October 11, 2023
Strong New Quake Rattles Western Afghanistan

Another strong earthquake shook western Afghanistan on October 11, just four days after a major temblor that claimed nearly 3,000 lives, according to Taliban officials. Many died as entire families were buried in collapsing homes in the series of quakes in Herat Province.
October 10, 2023
Afghan Earthquake Killed Mainly Women And Children, Say Rescue Officials

Afghan airborne medical teams have evacuated seriously injured victims from villages where homes were destroyed in the Zindah Jan district of Herat Province during an earthquake on October 7. Most victims of the 6.3-magnitude quake were women and children.
October 09, 2023
Afghans Scramble To Find Survivors Of Devastating Earthquake

Volunteers are frantically searching for survivors in Afghanistan's Herat Province after hundreds of homes were reduced to rubble in an October 7 earthquake. Some 13 villages in the province's Zindah Jan district have reportedly been destroyed, while scores of homes were flattened.
October 08, 2023
Thousands Of Nagorno-Karabakh Schoolchildren Taken Into Armenian Classrooms

An estimated 18,000 schoolchildren from Nagorno-Karabakh have been registered in Armenia following a mass exodus from the disputed territory. Dozens of new teachers have been hired to handle the influx of students who fled to Armenia when Azerbaijan reclaimed control over Nagorno-Karabakh.
October 05, 2023
Russia Imprisons Scores Of Ukrainian Officials

Some 132 Ukrainian officials in Russian-occupied territory have been abducted, according to the ZMINA human rights organization. Mayors and other Ukrainian authorities have been imprisoned, interrogated, tortured, and pressured to collaborate with Russia amid its full-scale invasion.
October 04, 2023
Ukrainian Unit Recounts Up-Close Fighting To Liberate Eastern Town Of Klishchiyivka

Sharing battle footage recorded on their body cameras, Ukrainian soldiers recounted their role in liberating Russian-occupied Klishchiyivka in the Donetsk region. They described chaos among the enemy as some tried to surrender while other Russian troops fought to the end.
September 22, 2023
Ukrainian Crews Put Hundreds Of Captured Russian Tanks Into Action

Ukrainians have become adept at using captured Russian tanks against Moscow's invading forces. By some estimates, Ukraine has made up for all the armor it's lost by capturing an estimated 500 enemy tanks. A Ukrainian crew training on a Russian tank from Chernihiv finds the vehicle now running well.
September 21, 2023
Ethnic Armenians In Nagorno-Karabakh Describe Gunfire, 'Panic' Despite Official Cease-Fire

Ethnic Armenians describe panic and sounds of gunfire in the de facto capital of Nagorno-Karabakh, Stepanakert, amid a tense cease-fire and talks between separatist leaders and Azerbaijan. The breakaway region's leaders surrendered following an attack on September 19 by Azerbaijan's military.
September 20, 2023
Taking Ground 'Meter By Meter': Ukrainian Counteroffensive Liberates Village Bordering Donetsk Airport

Capitalizing on "any gaps in the enemy's defense," Ukrainian troops said on September 12 they were slowly but steadily reclaiming ground in their counteroffensive to Russia's invasion. The cost is high, they explain, because Russian artillery usually razes retaken villages to the ground.
September 18, 2023
Thousands Of Ukrainian Civilians Reportedly Imprisoned By Russia

International monitoring organizations estimate thousands of Ukrainians have been illegally held prisoner and deported by Russian forces since the beginning of the full-scale attack on Ukraine in February 2022. Their families fight for scraps of information while witnesses recount civilian arrests.
September 13, 2023
First-Person Firepower: Ukrainian Drone Unit Hunts Down Russian Armor

Remotely piloting fast, light FPV (or First-Person View) drones, a Ukrainian aerial attack unit has become adept at chasing down Russian targets. RFE/RL's Maryan Kushnir travels to the front with the operators who are hunting down enemy artillery with increasing accuracy.
September 11, 2023
Deep Trenches 'Allow You To Walk Straight': Ukrainian Amputee Soldier Returns To Front Lines

Ukrainian soldier Artem Kholodkevych says he had no interest in taking a safe desk job far from the front after losing his leg to a Russian mine. After five months of walking with a prosthetic limb, he can move around the defensive trenches his fellow soldiers live in with ease.
September 08, 2023
Beating Of Activist Puts Spotlight On Torture In Kazakh Prisons

A video of Kazakh prison guards beating civil rights activist Timur Danebayev has surfaced on social media, making waves in Kazakhstan. Authorities confirmed the video's authenticity and human rights attorneys have filed a complaint over the physical abuse of Danebayev and others in detention.
September 05, 2023
Digging Deeper: Well Builders Struggle To Supply Farmers Amid Central Asian Water Crisis

In the midst of a growing water crisis in Central Asia, Uzbek well diggers are forced to constantly go deeper to supply rural farmers. With water tables falling, diggers can no longer guarantee farmers they will find a reliable source of irrigation.

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